The art of tackling is something that Texans safety Jahleel Addae is always looking to perfect.

Addae has textbook form, driving his shoulder pads into running backs and receivers with a lot of force and remaining under control to get them on the ground.

Although Addae is an extremely hard hitter, his priorities have evolved over the years from his younger days when he looked for the heaviest collision he could create toward a simpler goal: stopping any forward progress and not missing tackles.

A big part of what Addae does involves keeping his eyes up and not lowering his helmet for safety and to prevent missing tackles. Addae accelerates into contact, wraps up the ball carrier and drives his legs into the tackle.

“I’m not 100 percent, but it’s something I try to work on and improve about my game,” said Addae, 29. “I try to come up with a body part, whether it’s a shoelace, a leg, or a piece of a jersey, a tackle is a tackle.”

By focusing on the fundamentals, Addae has emerged as one of the best tacklers on the roster. Addae delivered several crisp open-field tackles during a 53-32 win Sunday over Atlanta.

Addae led the Texans with 10 tackles, including nine solos on defense and one on special teams.

“It’s hard to explain when you’re in it, but it’s more of an open-field thing and something I continue to work on to elevate my game,” Addae said. “Early in my career, I used to want to hit a lot. Now, I want to tackle. So, it’s different. Get him down.”

Operating in a hybrid safety-linebacker role, Addae is frequently deployed close to the line of scrimmage. He had a quarterback hurry on Matt Ryan on a blitz.

Compact and muscular at 5-10, 195 pounds, Addae is versatile enough that he has played inside linebacker in the past with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Texans signed Addae to a one-year contract after safety Andre Hal retired. Addae started every game the past two seasons for the Chargers, recording 75 tackles, one interception and a sack last year and 96 tackles two seasons ago.

“Jahleel is a pro’s pro,” Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. “He communicates a lot out there on the field. He can tackle. He can over. I think having him has been a big addition for us. Obviously, our dime position, playing safety for us, is a big part of our defense.”

Addae became expendable for the Chargers after six seasons because of the salary-cap and the addition of first-round draft pick Derwin James.

Addae has provided a lot of versatility to the Texans’ defense. He’s their third safety behind starters Tashaun Gipson and Justin Reid, but plays a lot as a defensive substitute.

“Jahleel has been a really good addition so far into our locker room, on our field,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a competitive guy. He’s a smart guy. He’s played a lot of football in this league. He’s, in many ways, come up the hard way in this league, and he’s been a good addition.”

In the Texans’ defense, Addae is frequently matched up against running backs and tight ends and utilized as a blitzer.

“I love my role,” Addae said. “I tell the guys all the time. Playing special teams, playing the Money dime position here, even if they need me at safety, I feel like I’m a versatile player and I can do a lot of things, whichever aspects the coaches see me. I’m going to give it my all every time.

“Dime is a safety-linebacker-wild card, a guy who does it all: blitzes, zone, man-to-man, a lot of stuff, a lot of versatility. I’m in the box, a lot of bang-bang plays. I’m around the action.”

The Texans will need a sharp game from Addae and the entire secondary this week in a road game against Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, and tight end Travis Kelce.

“Playing against him in the past, Mahomes is the MVP for a reason,” Addae said. “Travis is a beast. Their offense is explosive. They’re a good team, all in all. We’ll have to watch film and hopefully we’ll be able to tune in on what they’re doing.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans beat writer for the Houston Chronicle, joining the paper in August 2015. He was a Baltimore Ravens beat writer from 2001 to 2015, working for The Baltimore Sun, including coverage of Super Bowl XLVII, the Ray Rice domestic violence case and the careers of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Jonathan Ogden, and previously covered the team for the Carroll County Times and the Annapolis Capital.

This marks the second time the Washington, D.C. native has covered the AFC South, previously covering the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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